hardware

im interested at trying my hand at production of dnb/breaks .... and im interested in buying a piece of hardware, i was wondering if one of you guys could give me some advice.... would it be better to get a nice midi keyboard or something like the mc-909 ? can these midi controllers actually hook up to popular software like cubase, and control certain effects by manipulating knobs/sliders on the hardware side, and assign certains notes to drums/etc by using the keys? but the mc909 is more of a stand alone sequencer with sampling and all the other features it has? ... im just trying to decide whats best ... and what sets these 2 devices apart from each other so i can decide what to get.... any suggestions on really good models to look at, as well ,would be MUCH appreciated... thank you...

What type of application? If you are looking to produce studio tracks your best bet may be sticking to computer software <- cheaper than a full blown sequencer/sample/synth deck and a bit easier to learn. If live performance is the goal you may want to look into a good harware sequencer and an external sample deck. This combo works the best in live application in my experience. The 909 can be set up with logic/cubase/cakewalk to control parameters but the system software on the 909 itself is a bit buggy...
-Distilled

i'd recommend trying on software first too. If you notice that it's not your game then you wont be fucked of buying a 300£ hardware piece that you have no use of.

Or if you start getting into it more and more, and notice how the software side is "keeping you down" sortof, then maybe buy yourself some hardware. Many established producers use only (or mostly) software too.

I've been getting into DB production for the past 6 years and I've slowly been building up a pretty nice studio. Aside from my PC the most valuable piece of equipment I have is my EMU E5000. With an EMU and Cubase you can do anything. You can create your own synth sounds by layering and offsetting simple sine waves. So you really have a synth and a sampler. EMUs are hands down the best way to go if you want to produce jungle. They are a bit expensive but scope out Ebay. I just got another EMU, a E4X Turbo for $440 off of Ebay. Those units were thousands when they first came out so it's worth looking. The EMU website is also selling refurbished units for cheap. I think the E5000 is around $700. I you want to learn more about EMUs go to www.emusonacid.co.uk. It's a forum that covers everything EMU.